Most people have no idea the amount of risk when dealing with a mold issue. Hiring the wrong mold contractor in Springfield Missouri can not only be costly but detrimental to you or a family member’s health. When choosing a mold remediation contractor, you want to choose the correct company to do the job. Not only will this help with potential health issues, it could also help you avoid spending more money down the road.

Allergies associated with mold are the most common health concerns people face. A runny nose, itchy eyes, and sore throat are just some of the normal allergy symptoms attributed to mold. But mold is complex and can also present some more serious medical conditions such as respiratory ailments. Since mold can cause a variety of issues, it takes a specialized company to combat it.

Many questions can come to mind when choosing the right people to do the job. What happens when toxic mold is involved? What happens when an unqualified company, or person, is hired to take care of my mold issue? Am I hiring a company with proper certifications and training? Do I feel comfortable that the company I hired is taking the proper steps to protect my family? If I am selling my home, how do I protect myself from a potential lawsuit?

These are questions you have to ask yourself because these things happen in real life. The following are a few examples of lawsuits throughout the United States where mold issues were not properly handled:

A company was sued for 13 million dollars in California for spreading toxic mold throughout a family’s home, causing serious brain damage to the family’s child. That child now needs 24-hour care.

A company in North Carolina agreed to a 2.1 million dollar civil settlement, in addition to criminal penalties of roughly 16 million dollars, for ignoring an employee’s warning that mold was found in air filters in a room where sterile items were manufactured.

Mold in military housing in Texas led to a $350,000 settlement for a marine and his family.

A courthouse in Florida was sued when a prosecutor claimed that mold exposure at the courthouse caused severe sinus problems. They received a $166,500 settlement. Nineteen current and former employees have filed suit as well, for mold-related illnesses.

There are many more lawsuits involving mold and the handling of mold. If you hire the properly certified, licensed, insured mold company, you can avoid problems like these. But, if you hire someone to do mold remediation that is not properly insured, properly trained, properly qualified, then you put yourself at major risk.

Asking these simple questions can help you hire the right contractor to do your mold work:

Are you certified in mold remediation contracting?

When asking this, make sure to specify “mold remediation contracting.” Some people simply ask the broad question of if a company is “certified” and the company will reply with a yes. They may be certified in other areas, but mold remediation is a specific area of training and expertise. If they aren’t certified in mold remediation contracting, they don’t have the proper training and qualifications to handle mold cleanup.

They don’t have to follow EPA guidelines for proper mold cleanup and will leave you and your family exposed to potential health and financial burdens. As mentioned above, legal issues may present themselves if you sell your home to someone after hiring an unqualified mold contractor. Before hiring, make sure the company tells you they are certified in mold remediation contracting and ask who they are certified through.

Are you licensed and insured for mold remediation?

This question can be answered in broad terms. Most companies have licenses and insurances, but do those insurances cover mold? General liability and general contractors insurance does not cover mold. You must ask specific questions so you aren’t leaving yourself liable for anything.

Do you have Pollution Liability Insurance?

Pollution liability insurance is a policy that is specifically written for the special needs of Abatement Contractors. These include but are not limited to contractors who perform asbestos abatement, mold remediation, lead abatement, underground storage tank removal, meth lab cleanup, nuclear service, and crime scene cleanup. If they do not have Pollution Liability Coverage in their insurance, then neither you or the company you hired is protected if anything goes wrong during mold clean up.

What are your steps in mold remediation and preventing this from happening again?

This is simple. If they can’t walk you through (and explain in a way that you understand) a step by step process used to perform a proper mold mitigation, you should not hire them to as your mold contractor. If they can’t locate moisture sources and give you solutions on how to prevent the sources from causing mold to return, you should not hire them to do your mold mitigation. There’s no point in cleaning up the mold if they can’t prevent it from returning in the future.

These are simple questions that can mean a world of difference to you and your family. You, as a homeowner, home buyer, or home seller, have every right to ask these questions. You owe it to yourself to get the job done correctly the first time. The risk associated with mold is too high to work with a company or person who is inexperienced, unlicensed, and uncertified.

Dog Gone Mold is licensed in the state of Missouri and insured with Pollution Liability Insurance, General Liability Insurance, and Workman’s Comp Insurance. We are certified in Mold Remediation Contracting, certified in Mold Inspections through MICRO, and Lead and Paint certified through Zack Academy.

When you hire Dog Gone Mold to do mold work for you, you can be 100% sure that we are qualified to perform your mold mitigations and mold inspections. We have all of the necessary insurances to protect ourselves and, more importantly, you. We are so confident in our work that we offer a warranty to our clients, giving you the peace of mind that we are only a phone call away to answer any questions.